RERA does not cover a tenant's security deposit paid to a landlord. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 governs promoters and registered real estate projects, and a complaint under Section 31 lies only against a promoter for a project covered by the Act. A deposit held by a landlord is a tenancy matter, and the correct forum is the Rent Controller or a civil court, not the RERA Authority.
That distinction decides most of these enquiries before anything else. If the money was paid to a builder or developer under an allotment or agreement for sale, RERA is the right door. If it was paid to the owner of a flat you rented, it is the wrong door, and filing there wastes months.
What RERA actually regulates
The Act regulates real estate projects: development of plots, buildings and apartments for sale, and the promoters who market and sell them. It requires registration of projects, disclosure of sanctioned plans and timelines, and it gives allottees a statutory right to refund with interest if the promoter fails to hand over possession.
The key words are sale and allottee. RERA is built around a transaction in which a person pays a promoter for a unit in a project. A lease or a licence to occupy, where the owner retains title and the occupier pays rent, is not a sale of a real estate project, and the Act's machinery does not reach it.
When RERA does cover a security deposit
There are genuine cases where a sum described as a security deposit is refundable under a builder-buyer arrangement and does fall within RERA. Typical examples are a booking amount or an interest-free maintenance deposit collected by the promoter at the time of allotment, or a deposit withheld by the promoter under a clause of the agreement for sale.
In those cases the complaint is really about a promoter's failure to refund money due under the agreement, and the Authority can order refund with interest. The strength of the case usually turns on the wording of the clause and on whether the deposit was a condition of allotment or a separate commercial arrangement outside the project.
Before drafting anything, have the builder-buyer agreement read closely, because the refund clause and the forfeiture clause are usually sitting a few paragraphs apart and they pull in opposite directions.
When RERA is the wrong forum
A deposit paid to a landlord under a rent agreement is not a RERA matter, however large the amount and however unfair the withholding. The Authority has repeatedly declined complaints that are in substance tenancy disputes, because the transaction is not a sale in a registered project and the opposite party is not a promoter.
| Type of deposit | Who holds the money | Correct forum |
|---|---|---|
| Booking amount or allotment deposit | Promoter or developer | RERA Authority under Section 31 |
| Maintenance or amenity deposit under the agreement for sale | Promoter or developer | RERA Authority, if the project is registered |
| Rent advance or security deposit for a flat | Landlord or owner | Rent Controller or civil court |
| Deposit under a leave and licence for a shop | Licensor | Civil court |
| Deposit paid to a broker or agent | Agent | Civil court, and a police complaint if there is cheating |
The correct remedy for a landlord-tenant deposit
In West Bengal, tenancies in Kolkata and the municipal areas are largely governed by the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act 1997, which provides for proceedings before the Rent Controller. Where the Act does not apply, or where the claim is simply for money had and received, a civil suit for recovery is the route.
The practical steps are the same either way. Send a written demand by registered post and email, setting out the amount, the clause under which it is refundable, and a deadline. Preserve the rent agreement, the bank transfer record, the handover inventory and photographs of the condition of the premises at the time of vacating. Those four documents decide most deposit disputes.
Two timing points are often missed. Interest on a withheld deposit is usually claimed from the date of the demand, not from the date of vacating, so the demand notice should fix that date clearly. And where the landlord has sold the premises in the meantime, the duty to refund still attaches to the landlord who received the money unless the sale deed expressly transferred it, which a properly drafted agreement would not do.
If the landlord has also failed to return the deposit while re-letting the premises, or has made deductions without any inventory basis, the demand notice should say so specifically. A well-drafted notice frequently produces the refund without any filing at all.
How to file a RERA complaint, step by step
- Confirm the project is registered with the West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority and note the registration number from the agreement.
- Collect the agreement for sale, the payment receipts, the demand letters and the promoter's replies.
- Draft the complaint setting out the facts, the clause relied on, the amount claimed and the interest sought.
- File it on the Authority's online portal in the prescribed form, with the fee prescribed under the state rules.
- Serve a copy on the promoter and appear on the date fixed for hearing.
- Lead evidence on affidavit if the Authority requires it, and press for a reasoned order.
The fee for a complaint is fixed by the state rules and is revised from time to time, so confirm the current figure on the Authority's portal rather than relying on an old figure quoted in a forum. The same applies to the exact form number, which differs between states.
Where to file and what to attach
Complaints for projects in West Bengal go to the West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority. If the promoter has already been ordered to refund and has not complied, the Authority can take enforcement action, and a separate application for penalty can be made before the adjudicating officer.
- The registered agreement for sale and the allotment letter.
- Receipts or bank statements showing the deposit was actually paid.
- The clause of the agreement that makes the deposit refundable.
- Correspondence: emails, WhatsApp messages and the legal notice.
- Proof of the project's registration and the promoter's details.
- An affidavit verifying the facts stated in the complaint.
What counts as a promoter under the Act
The Act defines a promoter broadly enough to catch developers, builders, colonisers, a development authority, and even a person who constructs and sells a building on land they own. What they share is that they are carrying on a real estate project and selling units in it to allottees.
This is why a landowner who merely rents out an existing building is not a promoter, while the same person who subdivides the land, obtains a sanctioned plan and sells flats is. The character of the transaction, not the label given to it in the document, decides the forum.
Where the promoter is a partnership firm or a company, the officers in charge can also be proceeded against, which is why notices in RERA matters are often addressed to the promoter and to its directors together. If your agreement names the individual who signed for the company, keep that document safe; it identifies who can be made personally liable.
Appeals, enforcement and realistic expectations
Keep the complaint number and every order sheet together, because enforcement of a refund direction depends on being able to show the exact order and its date. If the promoter does not appear despite proper service, the Authority can proceed ex parte, but proof of service should be placed on record.
An order of the Authority can be appealed to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal within the period prescribed by the Act, and the appeal does not automatically stay the order unless the tribunal so directs. A promoter who ignores a refund direction risks penalty proceedings and, in serious cases, prosecution.
Timelines vary widely. A straightforward refund claim can be disposed of in a few months; a contested matter with expert evidence on delay and force majeure can run much longer. What the Authority will not do is decide a pure landlord-tenant dispute, so the single most useful step is to classify the claim correctly before spending money on a filing.
If you are unsure which side of the line your deposit falls on, a short consultation will tell you whether to file before the Authority, the Rent Controller or a civil court. For the wider picture on project complaints, see how RERA complaints work in Kolkata.